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Happy New Year, Money Crashers! Can you believe that it’s already 2010? Of course the New Year brings a new set of goals and resolutions and I’m sure you all are revved up to make and save more money and do an even better job managing your personal finances in the coming year.

Here at Money Crashers we offer a wealth of personal finance information, including useful tips and reviews around topics like budgeting, saving money, college & careers, credit & debt, and investing. Think of the site as your “Guide to Financial Fitness.” Our goal is to help you achieve your financial goals.

In addition to all of the financial resources here, this year we want to take it a step further and give you the opportunity to win some amazing free stuff that will give you a head start with your finances in 2010. Enter the Money Crashers 2010 New Year Giveaway Bash! We’ve partnered with various finance companies and bloggers to put together over $9,200 in sweet prizes – including $3,150 in cash, $1,105 in gift cards, the entire line of Apple iPod mp3 players, 2 Amazon Kindles, a whole bunch of popular finance books, and much much more.

So how does the Giveaway work? We have the exact details outlined lower on this page, but in a nutshell, all you have to do is perform certain actions to gain entries into the contest (i.e. follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our RSS feed, join our Facebook group, etc). The more you do, the better your chances of winning. Then on February 3, we’ll randomly select the winners for each individual prize. Additionally, the top 3 participants with the most entries at the end will get $100 each from Money Crashers. There will be over 100 winners, so you have a great chance of winning something! Now take a look at these awesome prizes and start building up your entries for the Giveaway!

Prizes

Without further adieu, here’s the full list of prizes in the Money Crashers 2010 New Year Giveaway Bash! Big thanks to all of the sponsors. If you’d like to include your own prize in this event, it’s not too late. Contact us asap.

CASH

3 $100 Cash Prizes ($300 Total) from Money Crashersadded Jan 4, winners: Sean W., Elizabeth I., Mac R.All of the other prizes below on this list will be selected through a random draw on February 3, but we’re also giving $100 in cash to the top 3 participants that collect the most entries by the end of the contest. Some things you just can’t leave to chance, right? More details on this in the how the contest works section.

$600 Cash from Dream Routineadded Jan 22, winner: K S.Dream Routine is an exclusive society designed to drill down to the core of your money problems. The power of Dream Routine lies in its MasterMind Group, which prepares you for “becoming a millionaire”. Sign up for their Insider’s Newsletter because they currently need free Beta Testers for their new program (you also get 15 extra entries for this).
Twitter: @DreamRoutine

$500 Cash from Wise Breadadded Jan 4, winner: Sean W.Wise Bread is a community of personal finance bloggers who help you live large on a small budget. Despite what you may have heard, you don’t have to sacrifice your financial independence to enjoy life. Top bloggers offer useful money saving tips and the site also features a popular finance forum and daily “best deals” posts.
Twitter: @wisebread

$120 Cash from Debt Goaladded Jan 16, winner: Gina P.DebtGoal is the first do-it-yourself debt reduction program that puts control in your hands to create and track to a personalized plan, stay motivated, and share successes with others. Using the innovative techniques, 48% people had success negotiating their own APRs by an average of 8.7%. See how you can make progress
you never thought possible.
Twitter: @debtgoal

$100 Cash from ETF Topicsadded Jan 6, winner: Lauren Y.ETF Topics focuses on how individuals can use exchange traded funds to achieve their investment goals. Coverage includes spotlights on individual ETFs along with sample portfolios and investment strategies. For anyone looking to track stock quotes, be sure to download the free and very configurable Excel-based stock quote tracker.
Twitter: @etftopics

$100 Cash from Finder.com and Credit Card Finderadded Jan 4, winner: Jeccica S.Are you someone from Australia who’s looking for the best options for savings accounts and credit cards? If so, take a look at both Finder.com and CreditCardFinder.com.au for comparisons based on rates, fees, and features.
Twitter: @savingaccountAU and @creditcardau

$100 Cash from Lending Clubadded Jan 14, winner: ThriftygalLending Club offers investors higher returns and borrowers lower-cost loans through an online financial community that eliminates the high cost and complexity of traditional banks. It’s free to join and you can get 3-year-term personal loans from $1,000 to $25,000 at fixed rates that are often significantly better than rates from conventional sources.
Twitter: @lendingclub

$100 Cash from Prosperadded Jan 13, winner: Chris L.Prosper is America’s largest peer-to-peer lending marketplace. We make it easy for borrowers to get great rates on loans and for lenders to get excellent returns. For borrowers our low rates are fixed for the 3 year term of the loan, and you can borrow as little as $1000 or as much as $25,000 depending on your needs. Free membership.
Twitter: @Prosperloans

$60 Cash from The Digerati Life & The Smarter Walletadded Jan 4, winner: Aaron H.The author behind the popular personal finance blogs, The Digerati Life and The Smarter Wallet goes by the name Silicon Valley Blogger (SVB). She’s a software engineer by trade with rich experience, resides in the Silicon Valley area and now blogs full time about educational and informative topics on money management. A great read!
Twitter: @TheDigeratiLife

$60 Cash from Money Crushadded Jan 7, winner: David B.MoneyCrush is about learning to love your financial life and reaching your goals. It’s about sharing personal insights relating to personal finance, inspiring each other, and helping each other out. If you’re working on things like saving, investing, getting out of debt, building wealth, or just plain living a fulfilling life, then this is the place.
Twitter: @moneycrush

$50 Cash from Consumerism Commentaryadded Jan 4, winner: Kyle T.Consumerism Commentary is one of the top personal finance blogs, created by a guy named Flexo in 2003 in order to “hold himself accountable for the state and progress of his own finances.” Flexo writes monthly updates showing detailed balance sheets of his own personal net worth. Definitely worth learning from.
Twitter: @flexo

$50 Cash from Bank Vibeadded Jan 4, winner: Lucinda H.Bank Vibe is a site that tracks the best bank rates and features reviews on various credit cards, CD rates, savings accounts, loans, and interest checking. Whatever your financial needs and situation, you’ll be able to do some research on the available offers here.

$50 Cash from PT Moneyadded Jan 4, winner: Heather D.PT Money is a place where readers can learn and share thoughts, ideas, and the best tips regarding personal finance topics like saving money, debt reduction, and living a frugal life. It’s not about limiting life. It’s about creating a limit-less life. Also check out the 52 ways to make extra money e-book.
Twitter: @ptmoney

$50 Cash from Lazy Man and Moneyadded Jan 8, winner: JasonLazy Man and Money explores how you can save and make more money. So why the name “lazy man”? The author Corey believes that when in comes to finance, being lazy is more efficient (i.e. work smarter, not harder). Now that’s something we can all get behind!
Twitter: @lazymanandmoney

$50 Cash from Debt Free Adventureadded Jan 13, winner: Jennifer P.The premise of Debt Free Adventure is simple – The author Matt has debt and wants to get rid of it! Because the financial wisdom of the bible is greater than the financial wisdom of Matt Jabs… he is tackling this awesome task using biblical principles. “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” I Timothy 6:6
Twitter: @MattJabs

$34.56 Cash from Cash Commonsadded Jan 13, winner: Lyman R.Cash Commons is a brand new free site for all questions and answers about money. Personal finance, investing, saving, spending, budgeting software, banking, coins, currency, credit, debt … you name it. It’s basically a social media site for finance where great questions and answers get voted up for all to see. Hit them with your best shot.
Twitter: @CashCommons

$25 Cash from Maximizing Moneyadded Jan 4, winner: Brian M.At Maximizing Money, you’ll find good deals to “stretch your money to its maximum potential.” The site lists out the top cash bonus offers from credit cards and financial companies as well as promotional savings opportunities for things like airfare, bankings, and shopping.

$25 Cash from Ready to be Richadded Jan 4, winner: AlReady to be Rich is a finance blog written by Fitz Villafuerte and is about a young Pinoy’s quest for wealth. The site covers topics around business and investing and includes lessons Fitz has learned while pursuing his entrepreneurial spirit.
Twitter: @brodfitz

$25 Cash from Bible Money Mattersadded Jan 6, winner: Nathan H.Bible Money Matters is a Christian personal finance blog that helps regular people dump the chains of debt and live a financially free life. The author, Pete, talks about all things personal finance and believes that everyone can live a life free of debt and financial strain, as long as they have a plan.
Twitter: @MoneyMatters

$25 Cash from Think Plan Investadded Jan 6, winner: Frugal GirlThink Plan Invest provides a guide for understanding the real value for your money and wealth. Articles and tips are related to the finance and banking industry and revolve around topics like home loans, fixed deposit, tax planning, and insurance.
Twitter: @thinkplaninvest

$25 Cash from Personal Finance Journeyadded Jan 6, winner: Caitlin R.
PFJ is being developed as a way to raise personal finance awareness and inspire others to get their finances on track. You’ll be able to read a variety of articles related to everyday personal finance encounters and experiences, and participate in the community by leaving comments and asking questions.
Twitter: @PFJourney

$25 Cash from Cash Money Lifeadded Jan 9, winner: Tabatha C.Cash Money Life is a personal finance, small business, and career journal, with daily articles about a myriad of financial, small business, and career topics, timeless tutorials, current events, product reviews, and more. The blog is written by Patrick, and has served as both a learning experience and a venue to share his thoughts and views with others.
Twitter: @cashmoneylife

$25 Cash from Military Finance Networkadded Jan 9, winner: Tim M.
Military Finance Network is run by Patrick who has served 6.5 years in the US Armed Forces. The website is designed to help military members, veterans, retirees, and dependants find information about military money matters including pay, benefits, legislation and more.

$25 Cash from Personal Finance Ninjaadded Jan 10, winner: Melissa C.Personal Finance Ninja is a personal finance community for twenty-something’s, students, recent graduates and just about everybody else. Personal finance articles and awesome ninja drawings. What more can you ask for?
Twitter: @PFNinja

$25 Cash from The Centsible Lifeadded Jan 11, winner: Michael N.The Centsible Life is about family, finances, and living the life you want. The goal is to inspire other families to take charge of their finances and make their money work for them. After 10 years of increasing her family’s cost of living more than income, Kelly’s finances were a mess. Improving her family’s finances and being debt-free in 2 years is now her #1 priority. Check out her blogiversary going on now.
Twitter: @centsiblelife

GADGETS

Amazon Kindle from J.D. of Get Rich Slowly ($259 value)added Jan 4, winner: MikeGet Rich Slowly is one of the most popular personal finance blogs that was recently named as the most inspiring money blog by Money Magazine. J.D. has a great story and his philosophy that anyone can get rich slowly by following a set of twelve key beliefs resonates with many people.
Twitter: @jdroth

Amazon Kindle from Generation X Finance ($259 value)added Jan 4, winner: Elizabeth I.Generation X Finance was created as a means for discussing financial issues that are important to this unique generation, which includes those who were born between 1965-1980. That isn’t to say the topics here aren’t applicable to others, but the primary focus is to help people get their debt under control, establish a successful career, and begin to accumulate wealth.
Twitter: @JeremyVoh

8GB iPod Nano with Video Camera from Debt Kid ($149 value)added Jan 4, winner: WinstonThe Debt Kid site is run by a guy in his twenties who managed to rack up over $250,000 in day trading losses in just 2 years. The blog documents Debt Kid’s journey back on the right track and also covers various other personal finance topics along the way. A great story.
Twitter: @debtkid

2 $50 Barnes & Noble Gift Cards ($100 Total) from Eliminate the Mudaadded Jan 4, winners: Victoria S., Judy L.Eliminate The Muda is written by the Lean Life Coach. Applying business management techniques to his personal life he is sharing how to apply the concepts of Lean Management. This approach of doing more with less was made famous by Toyota but was adapted from some of the United States greatest leaders including Benjamin Franklin, Henry Ford and Dr. William Deming.
Twitter: @LeanLifeCoach

$100 Barnes & Noble Gift Card from Save Every Wayadded Jan 4, winner: Emily D.Featured on LifeHacker and The Consumerist, SaveEveryWay provides daily messages, tips or quotes to keep your mind on saving. SaveEveryWay was inspired by Ivy League economists who conducted a study to determine what would help people save more. They found subscribers who received daily messages saved up to 16% more.
Twitter: @saveeveryway

$50 Amazon Gift Card from Bargaineeringadded Jan 4, winner: Caitlin P.“Life is about enjoying the things you love doing and spending time with the people you love spending time with.” If that’s a philosophy that resonates with you, then Jim Wang’s Bargaineering personal finance blog is for you. To Jim, managing your money is simply a means to an end – to enjoy life and be happy! Check out Bargaineering to learn more about all things personal finance.
Twitter: @bargainr

$50 Visa Gift Card from Budgets are Sexyadded Jan 4, winner: Chris H.Who would have thought budgets could be sexy? This personal finance blog is run by J. Money, “a 20 something soon-to-be millionaire.” J covers topics like retirement, credit cards, 401k, templates, and budget planning, but also tracks his net worth every month. If you want to be a millionaire some day, check out his millionaire to-do list.
Twitter: @BudgetsAreSexy

$50 Visa Gift Card from moneyStrandsadded Jan 6, winner: Mayra C.moneyStrands is a free, online tool that helps people develop better financial habits. With moneyStrands, users can easily track their spending, get a real-time overview of all their financial accounts, create budget goals and get savings recommendations. There’s even an iPhone app so you can track on the go.
Twitter: @moneyStrands

$50 Alice.com Gift Card from Live Real, Nowadded Jan 11, winner: Vickie C.Jason is a husband, father of three, proprietor of the Live Real, Now blog and a Corporate Monkey, Mark III. Live Real, Now focuses on illusion-free personal finance on the journey to become not only debt-free, but a better husband and father.
Twitter: @LiveRealNow

$50 Barnes & Noble Gift Card and special “surprise” gift from The Frugal Lawyeradded Jan 11, winner: JenThe Frugal Lawyer is the story of a journey to the land of financial responsibility. With $150,000 in unsecured debt, Danielle has a long way to go before she is debt-free; however, she posts about every aspect of her journey, including her massive screw-ups, with an added dash of snark. A humorous take on the ease of getting into debt and the struggle to be free.
Twitter: @thefrugallawyer

$50 Amazon Gift Card from Sweating the Big Stuffadded Jan 13, winner: Karissa G.Sweating the Big Stuff is written by Daniel, a guy in his early 20s who after graduating college and after starting to work in the real world, has started to budget carefully in order to save for short, medium, and long-term goals. Daniel started Sweating The Big Stuff to share his personal finance experiences and would like to educate people about ways to improve finances while maintaining a high quality of life.
Twitter: @DanielPacker

$25 Amazon Gift Card from The Greenest Dollaradded Jan 6, winner: Nicole R.The Greenest Dollar is the blog of Heather Levin and her goal is simple: to give people easy, common-sense ways to save money and go green. In fact, her biggest goal right now is to save enough money to begin construction on her off-grid home, paid for in cash. Save money. Save the environment. Be happy.
Twitter: @GreenestDollar

$25 Amazon Gift Card from Northern Cheapskateadded Jan 7, winner: Charissa N.Northern Cheapskate is written by a stay-at-home mom of 3 boys who loves finding deals, using coupons, and saving money. She writes about various money-saving tips and living a frugal lifestyle – basically anything that has to do with you and your money. Furthermore, she believes in personal responsibility and debt-free living.
Twitter: @ncheapskate

$25 Wal-Mart Gift Card from Engineer a Debt Free Lifeadded Jan 9, winner: Amanda F.Engineer a Debt Free Life (EADFL) is a collaborative effort of husband and wife bloggers The Engineer and Money Savin’ Momma. On the blog, the couple brings you lots of freebies, bargains, money saving ideas, and ways to make money online.
Twitter: @eadfl

30 Minute Consultation with Terri Stewart, Experienced CFP Professional ($100 value)added Jan 4, winner: Christy B.Need to talk to an experienced CFP professional to get your finances in order? Here’s your chance for a free consultation with a highly-qualified professional. Terri J. Stewart, who is located in the Seattle, WA area, has a lot to offer whether you’re just getting started and are confused about finance, or you’re advanced in life but need some pointers to improve your financial situation.

30 Minute Coaching Session with Millionaire Mommy Next Door ($60 value)added Jan 7, winner: Deanna N.Known to the blogosphere and on national TV as “The Millionaire Mommy Next Door”, Jen Smith went from earning minimum wage as a graveyard shift donut and coffee pusher to financial freedom as a self-made millionaire by age 40. Jen bootstrapped half a dozen small businesses while working from home in her pajamas. Now you can learn to do the same!
Twitter: @MillionMommyND

Sponsored Review from Saving Money Plan ($100 value)added Jan 4, winner: Tom D.This prize is ideal for anyone who has a product or service that they’d like to promote online. Saving Money Plan has over 10,000 RSS subscribers and is devoted to providing practical money saving tips and daily deals. Reach a targeted audience interested in personal finance and saving money.
Twitter: @savingmoneyplan

10 copies of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance In Your Twenties and Thirties by Beth Kobliner from the Intuit Personal Finance Group & Mint.com ($16 value each)added Jan 4, winners: Fiona, Beth, Wendy, Laura H., Carolyn, Roy L., Atom S., Herb C., Nadia S., Beth C.For twentysomethings and thirtysomethings, controlling one’s financial life is a challenge many times exacerbated by a lack of knowledge about how money works. Author Kobliner, herself under 30, has assembled an excellent collection of basic money management principles and has specially tailored this presentation to the particular interests of these age groups.
Twitter: @BethKobliner

10 copies of SHOO, Jimmy Choo! by Catey Hill ($15 value each)added Jan 22, winners: Kristin T., Donna K., Peggy, Aimee W., Marilyn B., Kristy T., Cindy D., Rachel E., Andrea M., Wendi P.Remember when Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw faced the brutal realization that she couldn’t buy her apartment because she’d already spent her money on a closet full of Manolos? Well, if Carrie had met Catey first – and read Shoo, Jimmy Choo!, of course – she’d already have owned her co-op, had a pile of savings and been on her way to a comfortable retirement! And Shoo, Jimmy Choo! can do the same thing for you.
Twitter: @ShooJimmyChoo

This book is sponsored by Catey Hill, author of Shoo, Jimmy Choo! and money editor for the New York Daily News online. Catey can also be found on her Shoo, Jimmy Choo! blog, the modern girl’s guide to spending less & saving more.
Twitter: @CateyHill

5 copies of Living Well with Bad Credit by Chris Balish and Geoff Williams ($13 value each)added Jan 4, winners: Amy M., Brandy, Jen, Beverly, Justin H.Bad credit happens to good people, but it doesn’t have to ruin their lives. While there are many books about how to repair bad credit, there are exactly zero books about how to live with bad credit and zero books about how to live well with bad credit. That’s where Living Well with Bad Credit comes in.

3 copies of Your Money Ratios: 8 Simple Tools for Financial Security by Charles Farrell ($26 value each)added Jan 4, winners: Todd T., Evan E., Carol D.Your Money Ratios is based on a series of simple ratios that anyone at any age can use to answer the five universal questions of personal finance. The Money Ratios are exceptional tools because they pack a great deal of information into a very simple format and allow you to benchmark your situation against the ratios.

3 autographed copies of Getting Back to Even by Jim Cramer from TheStreet.com and Action Alerts PLUS. ($26 value each)added Jan 26, winners: Stephen G., Michael N., Ray C.In his new book, Cramer offers the most detailed guidance he has ever given on how to invest in a changed market. Savvy investors will not just survive; they will thrive. Cramer begins with six rules for protecting the money you have and making sure that you have the money you need. Your portfolio won’t fix itself; you have to do that.
Twitter: @JimJCramer

This book is sponsored by Dinks Finance, the financial blog of Miel and James. The blog was created right before the couple got married and documents steps like integrating their finances, flipping a real estate venture, paying off credit card debt, saving for their own place, saving for the wedding, and establishing a prenuptial agreement.
Twitter: @dinks_finance

3 copies of Why Are We So Clueless about the Stock Market? by Mariusz Skonieczny ($15 value each)added Jan 4, winners: Nicholas H., Victoria L., Matt L.The purpose of this book is to help readers understand the basics of stock market investing. Material covered includes the difference between stocks and businesses, what constitutes a good business, when to buy and sell stocks, and how to value individual stocks.

2 copies of Money School for Couples by Neal Frankle from Money Smart Life ($47 value each)added Jan 5, winners: Rina, Tricia B.Money School for Couples – How to Get Your Spending, Budget and Debt under Control and Stop Worrying and Fighting About Money by Neal Frankle is an interactive 14-day program that is the “key to having a wonderful relationship and financial situation, without having to get a couples counselor or financial adviser.”
Twitter: @NealFrankle

This book is sponsored by Money Smart Life, a personal finance blog that serves up money tips for a better life and that is built on the philosophy that we should use money to live our lives, instead of living our lives around money. Ben helps you get the most of out your money and your life.
Twitter: @moneysmart

2 copies of The Total Money Makeover (book and workbook) by Dave Ramsey from 10k College Degree ($43 value each)added Jan 6, winners: Stacy K., Eleanor R.Dave condenses his 17 years of financial teaching and counseling into 7 organized, easy-to-follow steps that will lead you out of debt and into a Total Money Makeover. Plus, you’ll read over 50 real-life stories from people just like you who have followed these principles and are now winning with their money.
Twitter: @daveramsey

This book is sponsored by 10k College Degree. Can you make it through college with under $10,000 in debt? Find out at 10k College Degree with student Zach Younkin, who documents his story and his journey paying through college.
Twitter: @zachyounkin

2 copies of How to Make a Fortune from the Biggest Bailout in US History by Ron Insana ($26 value each)added Jan 4, winners: John, Lucia G.For those in the know, today’s financial headlines don’t spell disaster, they spell the sale of the century. But it takes a trustworthy veteran of the trading trenches to guide investors through these volatile times. Drawing on his rich experience, Ron Insana helps readers restore their depleted portfolios by revealing essential tricks of the trade and explaining complex concepts in an easy way.
Twitter: @rinsana

2 copies of Millionaire by Thirty: The Quickest Path to Early Financial Independence by Douglas R. Andrew ($23 value each) from Single Guy Moneyadded Jan 10, winners: Jennifer T., Peter S.Douglas R. Andrew has shown the parents of this generation a different pathway to financial freedom. Now Doug and his sons, Emron and Aaron – both of whom are in their mid-20s – show the under-30 crowd how they can break from traditional 401k investment plans and instead can find a better way by investing in real estate, budgeting effectively, avoiding unnecessary taxes and using life insurance to create tax-free income.

This book is sponsored by Single Guy Money, a blog run by a 32 year old single college graduate who is happily single and plans to stay that way for the forseeable future. Personal Finance from a single guy’s perspective. Since he’s been blogging, the author has managed to pay off over $40,000 in debt – including his car loan and credit cards.
Twitter: @singleguymoney

2 copies of I Will Teach You to be Rich by Ramit Sethi from Green Panda Tree House ($14 value each)added Jan 4, winners: Josie, Ryan N.At last, for a generation that’s materially ambitious yet financially clueless comes I Will Teach You To Be Rich, Ramit Sethi’s 6-week personal finance program for 20-to-35-year-olds. A completely practical approach delivered with a nonjudgmental style that makes readers want to do what Sethi says.
Twitter: @Ramit

This book is sponsored by Green Panda Tree House, a personal finance blog for college students and recent graduates where the goal of being careful with your money is to let money help you be content. How you use your money should reflect what you value in life.
Twitter: @Green_Panda

1 copy of The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World by Niall Ferguson from Weakonomics ($30 value)added Jan 4, winner: Denis S.Bread, cash, dosh, dough, loot: Call it what you like, it matters. To Christians, love of it is the root of all evil. To generals, it’s the sinews of war. To revolutionaries, it’s the chains of labour. But in The Ascent of Money, Niall Ferguson shows that finance is in fact the foundation of human progress.
Twitter: @NFergus

This book is sponsored by Weakonomics, a personal finance blog that shows you everything that’s wrong with you and your money. The author, Philip (aka the Weakonomist) works for a major bank in the US and has a solid understanding of personal and behavioral finance.
Twitter: @The_Weakonomist

1 copy of Stop Acting Rich: And Start Living Like A Real Millionaire by Thomas J. Stanley from Bible Money Matters ($27 value)added Jan 6, winner: Joy F.Dr. Thomas J. Stanley is a recognized and highly respected authority on the wealthy, their behavior, and their thinking. Now, in Stop Acting Rich, he details how the less affluent have fallen into the elite luxury brand trap that keeps them from truly acquiring wealth and details how to get out of it by emulating the working rich as opposed to the super elite.
Twitter: @ThomasJStanley

1 copy of The Investor’s Manifesto: Preparing for Prosperity, Armageddon, and Everything in Between by William Bernstein from The Dividend Guy ($25 value)added Jan 4, winner: Joel R.Filled with in-depth insights and practical advice, The Investor’s Manifesto will help you understand the nuts and bolts of executing a lifetime investment plan, including: how to survive dealing with the investment industry, the practical meaning of market efficiency, how much to save, how to maintain discipline in the face of panics and manias, and what vehicles to use to achieve financial security and freedom.

This book is sponsored by The Dividend Guy, a blog about one guy’s journey to passive income through dividend investing.
Twitter: @TheDividendGuy

1 copy of The Cure for Money Madness by Spencer Sherman from Personal Dividends ($25 value)added Jan 4, winner: DrewMoney madness keeps us from living as richly as we might and enjoying the wealth we have. In these tough economic times, The Cure for Money Madness transforms fear and stress into prosperity and peace.
Twitter: @spencerdsherman

This book is sponsored by Personal Dividends, a regularly updated blogzine that discusses topics integral to living a fulfiling and enriching personal life including money and wealth management, lifestyle issues, culture and arts and self improvement.
Twitter: @arohan

1 copy of Profits Aren’t Everything, They’re the Only Thing by George Cloutier from Personal Dividends ($25 value)added Jan 4, winner: MarkNow more than ever, business owners need a reality check. As we see the economy flattening and businesses struggling to stay afloat, Profits aren’t Everything, They’re the only Thing is a wakeup call to get your business fundamentals in order.
Twitter: @TurnaroundAce

This book is also sponsored by Personal Dividends.

1 copy of Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk from Own the Dollar ($20 value)added Jan 8, winner: Ben K.Do you have a hobby you wish you could do all day? An obsession that keeps you up at night? Now is the perfect time to take those passions and make a living doing what you love. In CRUSH IT!, Gary Vaynerchuk shows you how to use the power of the Internet to turn your real interests into real businesses.
Twitter: @garyvee

This book is sponsored by Own the Dollar, a personal finance blog written by Hank. He discusses taking control of your money, investing, retirement, and savings in plain English in the hopes of helping you own your dollar instead of it owning you.
Twitter: @ownthedollar

1 copy of Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin ($16 value)added Jan 4, winner: Marina J.Mortenson recounts the journey that led him from a failed 1993 attempt to climb Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second highest mountain, to successfully establish schools in some of the most remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. By replacing guns with pencils, rhetoric with reading, Mortenson promotes peace with books, not bombs, and successfully brings education and hope to remote communities in central Asia.
Twitter: @GregMortenson

1 signed copy of Life or Debt 2010: A New Path to Financial Freedom by Stacy Johnson of Money Talks News ($15 value)added Jan 4, winner: Laura N.If your answer is “free” or “secure” or even “happy,” then this step-by-step guide to eliminating debt forever is the book for you. Stacy Johnson, the creator of the personal finance news series Money Talks, has already helped millions of people get out of debt, achieve financial freedom, and earn from wise investments.
Twitter: @MoneyTalksNews

This book is sponsored by Spilling Buckets, the blog of Ryan and Leslie – a couple who recently graduated from college and are starting life together with new financial goals and dreams.
Twitter: @SpillingBuckets

1 copy of 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget from Wise Bread ($15 value)added Jan 4, winner: Sarah V.From the writers of Wise Bread, this book includes savvy tips on how to live, eat, shop, and have fun on a small budget. Live the good life without breaking the bank.
Twitter: @wisebread

1 copy of Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel: 100 Dirty Little Money-Grubbing Secrets by Phil Villarreal from Rainy Day Saver ($13 value)added Jan 8, winner: Kevin V.Phil Villarreal is not a Harvard MBA or a professional financial advisor or a talking head on a cable television network focusing on business, but he can change your financial life – if you are willing to move into the gray areas of money and ethics. His advice is as funny as it is useful as it is a little bit evil.
Twitter: @PhilVillarreal

This book is sponsored by Rainy Day Saver by Nicole Canfora Lupo, a journalist based in northern New Jersey and author of Images of America: Belleville. Her blog contains ramblings about her adventures in paying off her family’s debt and saving money, whether through do-it-yourself projects, clipping coupons, or looking for the best deals.
Twitter: @rainydaysaver

1 year subscripton to Money Magazine from Couple Money ($48 value)added Jan 4, winner: RCMoney is a Time Inc. personal finance magazine and covers the gamut of personal finance topics ranging from investing, saving, retirement and taxes to family finance issues like paying for college, credit, career and home improvement. It is well known for its annual list of “America’s Best Places to Live”.

This prize is sponsored by Couple Money, a blog about handling family and finances responsibly. The author’s plan is to keep track of her family’s steps towards financial freedom including victories and lapses with balancing family and money issues.

SCHWAG

Discontinued Mint.com Schwag before the Intuit Acquisition from the Intuit Personal Finance Group & Mint.com ($150 value)added Jan 4I’m sure by now you’ve heard of Mint.com, a free online personal finance tool that hooks up to your bank accounts and helps you to manage your money with various features. It’s so good, in fact, that Intuit recently bought it up. Here’s your chance to grab some rare discountined Mint.com schwag while you still can!
Twitter: @mint

10 “I’m a Money Hacker” Black T-Shirts from Money Hackers ($10 value each)added Jan 4, winners: David, Joyce J., Joel D., Christie H., Brian P., Frank L., Linda F., Matthew P., Dave A., Mike R.Money Hackers is a personal finance blog network that features various money hacks, tips, and tricks. If you are a reader looking for more great blogs and articles, take a look at the list of member blogs. You might want to become a Money Hacker yourself.
Twitter: @mhnet

10 Lending Club Black T-Shirts from Lending Club ($10 value each)added Jan 13, winners: Heath D., Mark L., Michael K., Ken S., Ashley A., Brian W., Tiffany T., Michele S., Casie W., Jerry V.Lending Club, a leading peer-to-peer lending institution is offering a $100 cash prize for this contest. But not only that, they also decided to throw in some schwag to the mix – 10 black t-shirts that say either “Dude, get a loan!” or “Be your own bank.” Check them out here.
Twitter: @robgarciasj

How the Contest Works

Pretty impressive prize list, eh? We’ve spent a ton of time putting all of that together for you so hopefully you’ll participate in the fun. Below is an explanation of how you can win. And in case you’re wondering, you don’t have to buy anything or do anything crazy. There are quite a few prizes, so you could potentially get a lot out of this!

The contest runs from January 4 to January 31, 2010 and the winners of all of the individual prizes will be selected by a random draw on February 3, 2010. There will be over 100 winners in total. Additionally, the top 3 participants with the most entries at the end will get $100 each (from Money Crashers).

To participate in the contest, all you have to do is perform certain actions that gain you more entries. The more entries you have, the higher your chances of winning a prize. Since we will be keeping track of all the entries, you do not need to e-mail us or comment on this post telling us what actions you have performed.

This is required in order to enter the contest so that we can keep track of your name, email, Twitter username, etc for the participation list. We will also send you updates to the contest via email including the list of winners.

Once the contest is over, we will send out a weekly personal finance newsletter, but you may opt out at any time. This list will never be sold and we will never send anything that resembles spam. Promise!

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Twitter:

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2. Subscribe to the Money Crashers RSS feed.

Throughout the month of the contest, we will be creating additional posts through the RSS feed that provide instructions on how you can collect more entries to win. These actions are optional and may include commenting on different blogs, checking out related sites of interest, or signing up with a sponsor. None of this will cost you any money but it’s important to keep up to date for more opportunities.

You can increase your chances of winning all of the prizes by collecting additional entries for the contest. Check out the list of actions below. For example, joining the mailing list is required and will gain you 1 entry, subscribing to our RSS feed via email will get you 15 entries, tweeting about the contest will gain you 10 more, etc.

Tweet out the following message – “Win $9,200+ in cash & prizes from personal finance blog @MoneyCrashers in the 2010 New Year Giveaway! http://bit.ly/4Amft8 #moneycrashers” – 10 entries (1 per week limit)

Re-tweet Money Crashers blog posts on Twitter using the “Tweet this Post” link at the bottom of pages – 5 entries (1 per day limit)

Tweet out a message related to personal finance with the hashtag #moneycrashers – 2 entries each (3 tweets per day limit)

Follow each of the sponsors on Twitter (links included in the prize list above). Each follow will give you an extra 5 entries to win that specific sponsor’s prize (e.g. if you follow @wisebread, you get 5 extra entries for the $500 prize).

Stay tuned to the Money Crashers blog and RSS feed, Twitter @MoneyCrashers, and Facebook fan page. We’ll be providing you with additional ways to gain entries in the contest throughout the month of January.

Guess the final Giveaway prize pool amount (instructions included in linked post). Person with the closest guess at the end of the event without going over gets 20 entries. Deadline to submit your guess is Tuesday, January 12 at noon. Note: The deadline for this action has now passed.

Sign up for a free account at Lending Club and forward us the confirmation email for an additional 20 entries. Read the details about this action at the bottom of our Lending Club review.

Record a short video clip of yourself telling your own financial story or providing a useful personal finance tip. By taking part in this action, you are guaranteed 15 entries with a chance for 30 additional entries if you are voted as a top 5 video clip. That means this action can boost your entry total by a whopping 45 entries! Check out the full guidelines here. The deadline to submit your video clip is Monday, January 25, 2010, 11:59 PM PST.

A random draw will be held for all prizes on Wednesday, February 3. The chances of you winning depends on the number of entries you accumulate as well as the number of entries held by all of the participants.

The event runs from January 4-31, with the random draw on February 3. See the official giveaway rules for more information. Happy New Year and good luck!

Note: Since we will be keeping track of all the entries, you do not need to e-mail us or comment on this post telling us what actions you have performed.

The content on MoneyCrashers.com is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as professional financial advice. Should you need such advice, consult a licensed financial or tax advisor. References to products, offers, and rates from third party sites often change. While we do our best to keep these updated, numbers stated on this site may differ from actual numbers. We may have financial relationships with some of the companies mentioned on this website. Among other things, we may receive free products, services, and/or monetary compensation in exchange for featured placement of sponsored products or services. We strive to write accurate and genuine reviews and articles, and all views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors.